PSL Young Researcher Starting Grant : Call for proposals 2026

Projects are expected to begin in the fall 2026 and must last a minimum of 2 years and up to 5 years. The funding may be used for a PhD grant (to be specified in the application).

The maximum amount granted will be €150,000 (inclusive of management fees, with the lead institution entitled to a management fee of 3% of expenses, i.e. a maximum amount of €4,369).

It is not possible to apply simultaneously to this call and to the “PSL Seed Package 2026” call for proposals.

Eligible profiles

• Tenured or contract researchers from Component Schools or associate members of PSL University (MCF or equivalent), or tenured researchers from research organizations within the PSL University perimeter (CR or equivalent), recruited less than 2 years prior to the application ;

• Researchers from outside PSL University who are in the process of being recruited by PSL University for a planned arrival as of the beginning of the 2026 academic year ;

• Researchers affiliated with research organizations, currently outside PSL University, who are preparing a mobility operation towards PSL University for a planned arrival as of the beginning of the 2026 academic year.

Candidates, regardless of their profile, must have defended their PhD within the seven calendar years preceding the year of application submission, i.e., after January 1st, 2019.

• Maternity leave : One additional year of eligibility will be granted per child. A sworn statement or supporting document must be provided ;

• Paternity leave : An extension of eligibility may be granted, with duration determined on a case-by-case basis. Contact  dir_recherche@psl.eu ;

• Disability : Candidates with disabilities who defended their thesis more than 7 years before the application year may benefit from an eligibility extension (up to 12 years). This extension will be granted upon presentation of a Recognition of the Status of Disabled Worker (Reconaissance de la Qualité de Travailleur Handicapé – RQTH) document or any equivalent proof.

Ineligible candidates

• Researchers who are currently or have previously been recipients of an ERC grant ;
• Individuals who have applied to the “PSL Seed package” call for proposals.

Other eligibility conditions

• The host institution of the applicant must be a component institution or an associate member of PSL University ;
• The applicant’s host laboratory must have a PSL University institution as its primary supervising entity (with the exception of newly recruited permanent faculty members of a PSL University component school, who may apply even if they are not affiliated with a laboratory primarily supervised by PSL University).
• The applicant’s salary must be secured for at least 2 two years, starting from September 1st, 2026, and covering the entire duration of the project.

Selection criteria

The main criteria are the scientific excellence, originality, and ambition of the project. Candidates, who are expected to be among the best in their field, must be capable of securing a tenured position (in a higher education institution or a research organization – for those who are not yet in a permanent position) within 2 or 3 years and of becoming ERC laureates within 3 to 4 years.

The selection jury will evaluate applications based on its review of the application and the reports from international experts.

Submission conditions

Project submission is done in a single step via the submission platform. Complete applications must be submitted on this platform no later than Monday, 30th of March 11:59 P.M.

✔ To apply for the call, you will need to create an account on the submission platform. Your email address and a password will be required to track the progress of your application.

Language of application :

• The application must be written and submitted in English ;

• Recommendation letters must be in English to allow international reviews (to be uploaded directly on the platform by the candidates or sent by email by the letter writers to dir_recherche@psl.eu, specifying in the email subject the candidate’s name and the PSL Young Researcher Starting Grant call) ;

• Support letters from component institutions or associate members may be written in French.

Required documents :

To complete your application, in addition to filling out the required information directly on the platform, you must upload the following supporting documents in .PDF format on the submission platform:

• Detailed scientific research project (no specific format required) ;
• Budget expenditure ;
  • Specify if a PhD student will be hired ;
  • Did you obtain or request additional funding ? If so, please specify the overall financing plan of the project and the part of the project that will be financed by the PSL Young Researcher Starting Grant call ;
• Candidate’s resume ;
• Candidate’s motivation letter ;
• 2 recommendation letters (unless sent by email) ;
• Support letter from the Director of the component school or associate member of PSL University (or his/her representative), guaranteeing that the researcher will be hosted, and that their salary will be guaranteed for at least two years.

Provisional Timeline

• Monday, 30th of March 2026, 23:59 (Paris time) : Deadline for submission on the platform ;
• Late April/Mid-May 2026 : Pre-selection jury and announcement of pre-selection results ;
• June/July 2026 : Final jury and announcement of final results.